I never thought or imagined this would happen. I, of all Trolls, have to face something that has traumatized me for years. This is the final battle that I have to face, alone.
As I was eyeing the giant colossal creature, I was thinking of a plan. YES! A SUPER AMAZING PLAN!
Crap! How do I get close enough with all the tentacles and rain and oh god, thunder!
Mina remembered that feeling before, the pain, the guilt, and the loss on this very night 8 years ago.
But don't think about it. Mina thought deeply.
And with one deep breath, Mina came out of her hiding spot and took a very, very sharp obsidian knife from her hair, and used it to slice a few tentacles.
"Get back here!"
The Dark Lord screamed and howled in pain.
Mina quickly ran back into a different hiding spot, farther away than the previous one. But she knew that the beast would find her very soon.
"Mom, Dad. Please give me a sign 🙏🙏🙏🙏."
Mina said, her voice cracking a little.
But before she could react, Mina felt something wrapping around her, something that keeps getting tighter by the second. She was caught.
*Gasp* "You really think you escape me? How pathetic."
Mina heard the cold and sinister voice from the creature. Eyeing her with his enormous big eye.
"Why are you doing this?"
Mina managed to speak in a creaky voice, even though she couldn't breathe well.
"That's none of your concern! *Gasp* All I need is what's inside you!!!"
The Dark Lord said as he used his tentacle to squeeze Mina even tighter.
Meanwhile with Shift:
Shift was trying to use anything to bash open the door, but no luck.
"This is just fantástico! I confessed to my love, and now she'll just die for me! I SAY THINGS DURING THE WORST AND WRONG TIMES! AAAAAUUGGGHHH😤😤😤🤬🤬🤬😡😡😡"
Shift shouted in anger before punching the door with all his might. Again, it didn't work.
It wasn't until he heard something crashing outside, near the door! He tried to push hard again, but he realized that something was blocking for him to open it.
"You have got to be kidding me."
Shift complained again before trying to push the door open.
In the basement:
The Trolls were trying their best to stay calm during the attack. But it's impossible when you have a crying queen of Pop trying to escape the basement, even though it's looked at from the outside.
"Poppy, calm down! Everyone and everything is going to be okay! So stop going crazy!"
Branch shouted while using his hair to grab hold of Poppy so she wouldn't escape.
"B-But Branch! Mina is still out there! I'm not letting her die!"
Poppy shouted back in tears.
Meanwhile behind all the chaos, Beetle was trying to comfort Joan. And so far, it's going okay.
(That's a lie! It's going horribly wrong!)
Beetle had to paralyze her with his venomous, and stingingly hair (it's not serious or dangerous venom!) several times so she could not start a panic attack.
"Bee, You should stop! J will be fine. Just let her take a walk while you relax for a change."
Maddie reassured him, trying to calm him down.
"I-I know! But I don't want her to go crazy! I'm afraid she may have a panic attack the moment she wakes up!"
Beetle said back, jingling 8 out of his 16 fingers.
"I'm sure she'll be fine! Cause she's strong and independent! She'll be fine. Also, TAKE A BREAK FOR COBRA's SAKES!"
Maddie said back, holding onto Beetle's arm with her tail.
"Sorry Maddie, I-I'm just worried about her, that's all."
Beetle said, removing Maddie's tail from his hand.
Maddie took a deep breath and started patting Beetle's shoulders.
"Bee, I get it that you want to help other Trolls. But you have to remember that they can take care of themselves too. You have to let people go sometimes, okay?"
Maddie said to him before slithering away.
"Is she right though? Will I still be a good Troll? Even if I don't take care of others?"
Beetle thought as he was staring at his 4 hands.
With Mina:
Mina was just there, feeling the pain in all her body parts. She was about to die.
*Gasp* "You tried to protect the Trolls? Well, who's going to protect you now?"
The Dark Lord said coldly as he continued to squeeze more.
Mina couldn't speak, move or even think properly.
"This is it then." Mina thought.
"No. It isn't."
A calming and soothing voice said. Mina turned her head a little to see a snowy owl standing on the pier.
"Who a-are yo-you?"
Mina croaked out, barely breathing.
"Someone you knew. The person who took care of you, cooked for you, and sacrificed to you."
The Snowy Owl said back. Mina kept trying to listen to it, thinking the voice was oddly familiar.
"Think about the good times you had. And use it to bring the light."
The owl said before it mysteriously disappeared.
Mina thought about the owl's sayings. And she decided to listen to it.
Mina closed her eyes and started to think about the good times. The times when she met her friends. The times when she had fun with the Trolls. And the times she had with her parents. And while she was thinking about it. She started to remember a precious memory. Even though it's the worst time to do it.
The memory showed 5-year-old Mina sitting on her bed, feeling scared due to the thunderstorm outside the wooded house.
Suddenly, her parents came inside her room looking worried.
"Are you okay?"
Mina's mom asked in her tender voice.
"Hard to sleep I guess."
Mina replied back quietly.
"What about a song my little jellybean."
Her father said as he brought his acoustic guitar.
Mina didn't answer. But her mother sat next to her.
She cued her husband to start playing. He strummed the strings gently. It reminded Mina of the wilderness surrounding her home. Then her mother started playing the violin. The sweet sound from the violin and guitar gave her quiet and calm headspace.
As Mina's mother was playing, he cues her husband to the violin with his hair while she started singing a lullaby.
A naeoidhean bhig, cluinn mo ghuth
Mise rid' thaobh, O mhaighdean bhan.
Ar righinn oig, fas as faic, Do thir, dileas fhein.
A ghrian a's a gheal-aich, stuir sinn
Gu uair ar cliu'sar gloire.
Naoidhean bhig, ar righinn
Og Mhaigh-dean ua shaill bhan.
Then out of surprise, Mina sang the second verse alongside her family.
A naeoidhean bhig, cluinn mo ghuth
Mise rid' thaobh, O mhaighdean bhan.
Ar righinn oig, fas as faic, Do thir, dileas fhein.
A ghrian a's a gheal-aich, stuir sinn
Gu uair ar cliu'sar gloire.
Naeoidhean bhig, ar righinn
Og Mhaigh-dean ua shaill bhan.
(Song: Noble Maiden Fair from Disney's Brave)
The memory ended with Mina falling asleep peacefully alongside her family.
Mina was crying happy tears from remembering that. She remembered the happiness, peacefulness, and hopefulness she felt that night.
And while she was thinking about it, glowing cracks were coming from different parts of the squid's tentacles.
"What?! That's impossible!"
The Dark Lord shouted out loud.
He tried to squeeze Mina tighter, but all Mina felt was the energy of happiness that was stopping the dark side from getting close to her. The Dark Lord thought she would waste her energy, but boy he was wrong.
Mina escaped from his tentacles and flew up. She didn't look like Mina anymore. Her wings and tail were celestial golden, she lost the purple dress, and got ancient Greek armor. And her eyes lost their brown eye color, all was seen were her intimidating bright golden eyes.
"All that energy.... I WANT IT!"
The Dark Lord shouted again trying to grab Mina with his tentacles, only to be demolished by Mina's light.
"You only take things that aren't yours, which makes you destructive and evil. You only take things and earn them. That's why you never have this power.'
Mina said before turning not into an owl, but a griffin.
Shift was watching this while inside the room. He wished he could fight alongside her, but he finally understood that she was not a damsel in distress.
Mina (in her griffin form) Flew straight into the dark black squid. The light was so bright that even the Dark Lord couldn't consume it all. But the light had a dangerous consequence, it has the power to destroy all living things that are close to it. Which would mean Mina would die.